Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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TILLMAN SAYS PRIMARY SAFE. GUARDS MUST BE MADE. TO KEEP OUT THE NEGRO Senior Senator Says People Will Not Take Part in Primary if Frauds Are Permitted, But Will Turn to the General Election, Where Negro Holds Balance of Power. Senator Tillman handed the news- 2 paper correspondents the following Intenrlew Saturday: The near approach of the State convention and th Importance of its expected action emboldens me to give expression to some opinions, on the subject of safeguarding the primary. I deem this more necessary because I knovrT sTTall not be able tq. attend the convention in person, and I have received many letters asking my ad-' vice in th^ crisis. Almost every South Carolina newspaper I see has something to say about this all-im portant subjesct and there a,re scores of schemes or propositions, as to* how it ought to be done—some good, some bad, some indifferent .and many entirely impracticable and unjust. It -will be remembered that Just after the last primary two years ago, cries of fraud went up all over the State and the executive committee not declare the result promptly, is caused intense anger on the part .the supporters of Gov. Bleaso, as -ffiey believed there was an effort be ing made to cheat him, and I raised my voice in no uncertain way urging promptness in investigating and re porting the resdlts of the election copy remain with the secretary of the club aa a registry list to govern on the day of the primary election, i No man should be allowed to vote whose name has not .been enrolled in accord ance with the above regulation^. If the money can be had, It would be well to have the club rolls pub lished in some one county paper twepty'days before the primary, but fear this may be considered too expensive, the filing of them with the clerks of court and the county chair men is sufficient in my Judgment. Facts as to Voters. The voters, when they enroll, should state the place of residence, giving the street and number of the house, if they live in a town, or the township when residing in the coun try. No club roll should be made up of men from two townships or two wards, but each subdivision of -a county or city should have one club and no more. Thb residents of that political sub-division could then de termine vyhether any fraud has been practiced in the enrollment or not. This regulation will compel me to go six miles 4o -vote Afrytyv iw;lmarv^Al though there is at present a voting precinct within half a mile Of my home. But no inconvenience can be too great to. prevent our taking uvery precaution possible to prevent fraud, or the charge of it. The promiscuous enrollment such as we have always had, the free and easy way in which we have conduct ed our political affairs, will not do now that white men have grown so suspicious and unscrupulous. The honors and emoluments of office are so great that inevitably human self ishness and greed will cause men to act the rascal. Lessons of ’76 Pester Us. On the day of the election, no man not enrolled according to these rules should bo permitted to vote. Every ballot when deposited in ti;e box ~ ana ,- nr0b“'S3TevTrfg r lhe suspense Tne governor was finally declared the nominee of the p^rty and things quieted down. He Makes Suggestions We have another primary coming •n in August, and there are many thousands of men in the State who boldly avow the purpose never to take part in the primary again unless there are some safeguards thrown around it ts prevent fraud and cor mption. I have given the subject much thought and venture to make the following suggestions: It is a pity the State legislature did not deal with this question and settle once for all by law the regu lations that are to govern Of the pri mary. but Gov. BJease by threats of the veto and with the powerful In fluence he wields prevented any ac tion. Therefore, the party must act, If anything is to be done, and the white men of the State had Just as well realize that unless somthlng Is done this will be our last Democratic primary of white men only. The probabilities are, the almost inevita ble consequences indeed will be, fight to a finish In the November election, with the negroes holding the balance of power and thus con trolling. One Vote for Every Man. 1 lay down as a general principle, which no honest man can dispute safely, or object to, that every white Democrat who Is entitled to vote un der the rules and regulations of the should be allowed to vote once, only, and that that vote 8e counted honestly and the leclared promptly. No decent or honest man" wants to cheat an other white man out of his right to participation in the &6vernment, and no patriot desires anything but fair play and equality of rights. Let ev ery white man have the same chance as any other white man, rich or poor, high or low, ahd let the majority rule. That is Democracy, or Till- manism as I have taught it, and he who would not be content to abide by such an election is ho patriot and no Democrat either. Our trouble heretofore, and our trouble this year, If we have trouble, will be dishon est and padded club rolls and stuffed ballot boxes. The club rolls we have now are old and have not been revis ed or corrected in a long while. Our politics have been running along in a Jogtrot, peaceful, way and dead men’s names are on the club lists, absentees who have moved away are on the club lists, and the names of men whom nobody ever knew or saw and can not find are on the club lists. This is a fruitful source of fraud, aricl our first effort should be to .gbt an Absolutely new enrollment^ of the Democrats who are entitled to vote under the rules of,the primary. Three Club Rolls. For reasons that are apparent to any roan who thinks about it, after the'npw rolls are made up—and this should be done by a given datq—th^V should be filed in some convenient place where they can be examined to detest if there has been any fraud pil^^md in placing names on them. TwH^ days should elapse between the Tllnf of the rolls and the prf- Government Experts Figure That They Can Provide Four Thousand Bets of Samples. Officials <ft the departmertt of agri culture estimate that with the sum of they'Can furnish 4,000 full iets of samples of official government grades of cotton, together with 4,000 ^ets of bleached and unbleached yarns made from these various gov- 3rnment grades. These sets will be sufficient to furnish every primary market in the South with samples of cotton and yarns. Senator Ellison D. Smith of South Carolina had an appropriation of $100,000 incorporated in the Senate committee’s report on the agricul tural appropriation bill for this spe cific purpose, and expects the item to wsr'tflF'SiffSfg'Wd he' accepted by the House conferees oh th bill. He wants those who sell cotton to be able to compare their cotton with ordihary. Between thesj^wo grades should be Stamped And the yfttarlajii?—— in raw colton of $35 a bale. The dif- Chscked off the clnb list, show ing that he has voted once at that precinct. Rubber setamps ■for this purpose should be provided by the county executive committee. The stamping of the ballot will prevent voting several tickets at once so fold ed together that they will fall apart after they have gone into the box, or be taken apart by the managers when they go to count them. This way of stuffing the ballot boxes was used throughout the State when it was necessary for us to cheat the.negroee, as many of our older citizens remem her well. Indeed, I say without hes itation, that the lessons we learned in '76, ’78 and ’80. until the "eight box law’’ was enacted, are returning to pester us no.w. Dire necessity forced us to use our brains to circumvent Ignorant negroes. We felt the vital necessity then to our civilization to prevent ignorant, semi-barbarous ne groes from controlling our affairs. It Is of equal importance now to prevent unscrupulous white men from cheat ing their fellow citizens and robbing them of their rights. Responsible for Present System. I perhaps more than any other one man am responsible for our present primary system. I wrote the consti tution of the Democratic party, and I wrote most of the rules and regula tions governing the primary. I there fore am an old hand at this business, and having been charged'with being responsible for’present conditions, my advice should have weight in point ing out the remedy as I now see it. I always felt that white men would be above cheating their own brothers and that South Carolinians were too honorable and clean to attempt such a thing; but unhappy experience has shown the falsity to make reparation as best I can. Pride of Authorship. When the State convention meets I anticipate that pride of authorship and egotism will cause a very pro tracted-debate^ Every man who has a scheme-^and who has not?—will want his scheme to be adopted. I do not claim that the suggestions I make are perfect, but they are the best have been able to think of -at this time, and I feel sure that if adopted and carried out, they will improve conditions in the State so much so^ that it will be a very long time; if ever, be fore we have furthepUroulble with our primary. It is all-important that we should not attempt too. much, or make the regulations so strict or laborious and costly that it will tend to keep men from complying with the conditions. A reasonable reform Insuring purity and honesty is all that can be accom- puished and it is all that should be attempted. B. R. Tillman. , — Second Victim of Week. Fireman Claude H. Nettles died early Friday morning from injuries received In the Southern railway wre'ek Thursday afternoon at Ludo- wJcU- Ga. He was the second victim of the wreck. Engineer T. J. Winn having died Thursday night. Failure of the freight train flagman to dis play proper signals is given as the cause of the wreck. samples of government grades i^ght in front of them. He says that be cause a buyer calls a bale of cotton good ordinary" that in Itself is not necessarily proof that the cotton is that particular grade. Senator Smith exhibits to his col leagues the same card that he has frequently shown to farmers In South Oaroilna, a card that shows some as tonishing facts. On the card are samples of bleached and unbleached cotton warns, spun under exaetjy the cam& conditions in tests made by the department of agriculture. The yarns are made from four grades of cotton, ranging from good middling to good Williams and Bankhead Vigoronn in Their Characterizations of Claim as * \iS‘ Unfounded—Exactly Contrary Shoyn to be Trye as Admlnistra- tlon Works for Segregation. Leaders in the Democratic party Saturday ridiculed charges brought by a correspondent of The State that the national Democratic party tends towards encouragement of social equality between the races that Pres ident Wilson is “forcing clerical equality in departments at Washiug- Frelghtrr Bank and Two Boatloads Were Rescued, But Third Was ‘ i • x Located Sunday. Two weeks ago the dispatches an-- Repeated Reqwssta for Regarding Infantry! Huerta. The United States Friday demand- nounced the sighting of a burning ed of the Huerta government news of steamer south of Sable Island. In the fkte of Private Parks, the Amer- the course of the next few days two; | C an Infantryman, vho strayed into boats, containing 27 men, were pick ed up, but the third boat containing fifteen was not sighted until Sunday. The United States revenue cutter Sen- ecut sighted the open boat and has tened to its rescue. t Four were found alive. Eleven others of the boat’s crew, who left the Columbian when she was burn ed south of Sable Island, May 3, had succumbed to Injuries and privations and their bodies had bben thrown -The dual 11 rdl ot lhe losT ference in tjie yarns produced from these grades is so slight that an ex pert can not distinguish between them. The yarns look exactly alike and are practically equal in strength, as spinning tests show. “I don’t ask you to take my word for it. T£is is the government’s work,” argues Senator Smith. “I think these samples ought to be in reach of every cotton farmer, so he can see just what he has .been losing heretofore through Ignorance. I don’t think the government can-' 'spend $100,000 better than by placing this information before the farmers.’’ SNIPERS ARE MEXICANS. Quintette'Captured in Vera Cruz Giv en Freedom- The five so-called South American snipers under arrest in Vera Cruz have turned out to be Mexicans and have been released in pursuance to the action taken in the case of other Mexicans arrested during the occu pation. Scretary Garrison announced this Friday. He said investigation by Gen. Funston and Rear Admiral Bad ger had developed that one of the prisoners «rho claimed to be a Chilean was a Mexican and that the other four "probably were Mexicans." It was assumed that the snipers, upon being arrested ,by an American naval officer, set up the claim that they were “South Americans”, think ing this would save them from the wrath of the Americans. As a matter of fact, it was pointed out, their posi tions as citizens of Mexico, acting under patriotic enthusiasm, gave them a defence more powerful than any aid that might have been obtain ed had they been foreigners. REMAINS AT WORK. mary. and entry of, bo name be at- .jorCIrtmtaal Assaulter Paroled. ~ ttkfcnwjpd-JUad. &4s» name should be put ou the roll unless the voter applies lu persons or sends written authority asking that his name be enrolled. There should be threie dtfb rolls, one copy'to be sent Lever Feels it His Duty to Cancel Speaking Fngagementk ► Representative Lever Wednesday cancelled a number of acceptances to Invitations to deliver addresses In South Carolina during the next few weeks because of the legislative sit uation, which demands the presence of Democrats in Washington. He was to have delivered the commencement address at Kingstree, Coker college, Limestone colleg, Summrland college and Newberry college, and to deliver an address at the annual banquet of the U. C. T. at Greenville and an agri cultural address at Slmpsonvllle, Greenville county; Farmers’ union address at Bishopville and education- ill addresses at Pelion and Gllllson- [ville. Mr. Lever said he regrets the nec essity which caused him to have to cancel these acceptances, but he feels It his duty, to remain in Washington while the important legislative pro gram mapped out by the caucus is concerned. euuvlVliU ■"W Greenville county \n 1901 of crimi nal assault and sentenced to life Im prisonment, has been paroled by tht governor. In February his sentence was commuted to thirty years eervleq lo the county chtii^nan, another copy op the Qreearille chain gnng. avarhbardr freighter now stands at 15. _____ The eurvivors had lived on a few ship's biscuts and a cask of water, which long since had been exhaust ed. They had gone the limit of hu man endurance. Hope for this miss ing third boat had been abandoned after a dozen trans-Atlantic liners searched for five days within a radius of the spot where the Columbian burst into flames. To seafaring men it seemed impossible that a small boat could pass through the series of gales that since have swept the waters on which the boat has drifted and the news that the Seneca had picked up survivors was received al most incredulously. Although the survivors were too weak from their suffering to tell the story completely, the revenue cutter’s officers gathered that some of the 1$ Mexican lines near Vera Cros. de claring that nnleas Information about him was given Immediately the Amer ican government would consider that an unfriendly and hostile i?t”, had been committed In violation of the understanding for a cessation of hos tilities pending mediation. President Wilson and Secretary Bryan, It was I vanned, drafted a strong communication, lifter reeeiv- ng wnrfr trnm tfan 'lirt itttsa IMlwtWsr- When Senator John Sharp Wil liams of Mississippi was asked by a reporter of The State about the mat ter and for his views he sized up the whole situation in a dozen words: "You may tell The SjLate for me,’ 4 he said, "that such a charge as that made by'a correspondent is not only ridiculous but ilhtrue from start to finish.” Asked to elucidate the matter and to be more specific in his statement that such a ( charge was not only not well founded but "untrue from start to finish”, the Mississippi senator re plied: "There is nothing that I can say any more emphatic than what I have already said. When I say that a thing is without toundation, ridiculous and untrue from beginning to end, there i 3 ^ t ££g- .y iorB 1 rmilfl ftdd thnt 'who trett-tmtliy J^De^rpIO^Oh5dI^N 0 -^OTtt6ir^'kfm>deInifti £a«r- wofild give force to the statement. -hrraf lfad'Tjeen so badly burned that Three Women Burned to Death. Miss Naomi Strong and Miss Gen evieve Brown, school teachers of Yuma, Ariz., and the mother of Miss That is all there is to it. I do not know who the correspondent Is who makes the charges you have asked me about but my sentiments have been expressed as above. The admin istration is not leaning toward social equality.” Senator John H .Bankhead, anoth er national Democratic leader, for many years a member of the House from Alabama, and now serving in the upper house of congress, was" even more emphatic than his colleague from Mississippi and went into de tails at some length. You may state for me,” Senator Bankhead said, “that more has been done by the present administration just opposite to what Is charged by the man who wrote the letter to The State than has been done before in 20 years. In all the Republican ad ministrations that I can remember not half as much was accomplished to segregate the races and to keep them from being placed on the same clerical equality as the present Demo cratic administration has done. “Of course there are isolated cases of colored appointment, but these were made because It has been a cus tom for many years to give certain positions to men of the colored race. Had the correspondent of The State who makes the charges you mention been in Washington recently or had he observed the efforta made to sepa rate, the white and colored employees such charge would^seem to ha with out'justification. In the post office department, especially, where for many years white and colored persons worked at the same desks, they have been separated and this not In a Re publican but a Democratic adminis tration. “That the national Democratic party tends towards encouragement of social equality between the raises is not true, as will be noted from, a resolution introduced in the Senate on August 1, 1913, by Senator Moses Clapp of Minnesota, and he a Re publican, demanding to know why there had been a segregation of the races in the post office department in Washington, this resolution being as follows: “ ‘Whereas, it is reported that there has been a segregation order issued by some unknown source or authority In the post office depart ment, and , r “ ‘Whereas, the clerk and employes have worked together peacefully for over 50 years; and “t’Whereas, the said segregation order will cost the government of the United States over $150,000; there fore be It " ‘Resolved, That the committee on post offices and post roads be and they are hereby authorized to Inquire into and to report by what authority the said segregation order was issued and what necessity, if any, exists for such order in the executive depart ment after 50 years of perfect peace among the employes of the, depart ment, which order makes it very in convenient for the clerks.’ “This resolution offered by a Re publican to know Why this segrega tion order was Issued speaks strongly than any language l\could possibly use,” Senator Bqnlzhelte In a fire In the hotel in which lived. i W mm ■ > «T Hundreds Injured at FuneraL • \ More than one hundred-..women were trampled upon at th i funeral.of D. W. Haggerty at Cambridge, Mam. Haggerty was one of the marinee kill ed at Vera Cnm. v : : / ■ '-^1 Situation at Tampico. Rear Admiral Mayo and American Brown were burned to death Tuesday -I wIULftgy **1$ Mil ttitnrTriilrh *olBopie veeelsmV reaewpiTffifarlncee baa been done Jn the post, office de- qre official clerical work. But\l have nothing more to odd. ‘nils resolu tion ahonld entirely satisfy \The State’s correspondent of his error refute his charge entirely.” r Other national laadsks in the oeratle party whp for various m m in Mdxtco City, th it Parks had been executed". No m-M\tlon was made in the minister's report of whether be yvas shot as a apy alter a court mar tial or whether hit body was burned, as has been reported persistently to Gen. Funston. The American government cabled the Brazilian minister to inform the Huerta government of the atrong feel ing of the United States in the mat ter. The note directed the minister to protest vigorously to the Hnerta government that if Parka were olive, the failure to explain his whereabouts was in Itself, an unfriendly attitude, and that if the soldier had been exe cuted, as had been reported,, such execution of a man, who came Into the Mexican lines. In full uniform, was contrary to military procedure of civilized nations, Ohd was an act et hosttlUyr they died within the first few days. It was decided to lighten the boat by casting the bodies overboard. Some who had tumbled from their bunks at the first explosion and had rushe4 on deck half clothed succumb ed to the cold; others, weakened by hunger and thirst, gradually sank la to lethargy that was scarcely to be distinguished from death. Somehow the survivors managed to keep the boat head-on to the when the weather became rough, but for the past few days little or no ef fort could be made to guide the craft. Day by day the number dwindled until the fiye were left, who sank limply to the bottom of the boat and awaited the end. When the lookout of the Seneca, scanning the horizon for bergs on the ice patron, sighted the small boat through his glasses, not a A sign of life was seen., The Seneca put on' all speed and racing to the life boat sent her gig along side. The emaciated surrlTors were qnickly transferred to the deck of the cutter and brandy forced between their lips. As all the men were in apparent need of hospital attention, the Sen eca was pushed under forced draught to Halifax, the nearest port. The dis patch from CapL Johnston of the Sen eca follows: "Ten a. m.. 40 miles south Sable Island, rescued lifeboat with Officer Robert Teire, Sailors Oscar Kendal, Peter Belanger, Fireman Michael Ludwigsen, survivors of 15. Oiler George Gull died 10th. Peter Triel to-day. Others between. All died ex posure and hunger. Short allowance biscuit and water. Eating biscuit crumbs and boot leather when res cued. Saw three steamers first two days, none since. Much rain. Fine to-day. All under doctor doing well sons did not wish to be quoted at this time were equally strong to-day in their statements that the administra tion, far from leaning toward an equality of the races, at the present time is doing just the opposite. One well known party leader pointed to the fact that John Skelton Williams did when appointed assistant secre tary of the treasury feas to cause an order to be Issued providing separate wash rooms for white and negro em ployees of the treasury department. This action at the time it was taken caused a, howl of protest from negro employees and their sympathizers. In other departments besides the post office and the treasury practical ly the same thing has been going on since the present administration took hold of government affairs, and among those interviewed regarding the letter to The State on this matter there was practical unanimity that Ishould specific instances be cited it would be found that the writer of such letter was in error. Others ask ed for further information before committing themselves but without exception the idea of the Democratic party tending towards a social equal ity between the races at the present time was said to be most ridicul lean note of the course the United States Intends to pursue la the Bat ter, hut an official close to the presi dent said Friday night it was one of the things which wonld be held up against the Huerta government when the final reckoning come ever, the of fenses committed against the United States. The receipt of word by the British embassy, from Sir Lionel Gardes, British minister in Mexico City, that J. R. Stillman, missing Amorims rise consol, was on his way by roll tram Saltillo to Mexico City, brought the first news about Stlliman In several days, considerably relisring the anx iety that had baas felt by effirtaln The British rice consul at Saltillo telegraphed the Information to Sir Lionel Carden. The Parks and Stillman Incidents have been looked on In mgny quar ters as likely to embarrass the media tion negotiations, hat those sloes to the administration sold both incidents probably wonld he cleared op by this week. THEY WOULDN’T TALK Haerta’s On their way to Washington from whore they will go to Niagara Fans to .represent the Hoerta government of Mexico before the “A. *. O.” med iators, the three com mlmioners ap pointed by the Mexican dictator pees ed through Charleston shortly before 11 o'clock Friday night on an At lantic Coast Line train. The train stopped In Charleston for ohly ten minetee and the throb envoys refused to be interviewed on the Mexican Situation or on any mat ters pertaining to the present troubles in that country and the efforts be ing made to bring about a peaceful settlement. They are accompanied on the trip to Washington by Spedman H. Honks, representing the American State de partment, among .others. Eighteen persons are in the party, including members of the commissiondfs’ fam ilies, secretaries and newspaper men. resent Ul&UB. \ THREE MEN ACQUITTED. Charged With Suspending Negro by -b ' Thumb* to Force Testimony. W. W. Adams, magistrate’s con stable, G. W. Smith and J. W' Black- well were acquitted In eourt of gen eral sessions at Anderson Thursday afternoon of charge of assaalt and battery with intent to kill. Adams and Smith were charged with sus pending ,by -his thumbs John Walker, colored, to a tree, also assaulting him with sticks and pistols, Blackwell was charged with assaulting Walker with a stick. Walker declared that these men made the alleged assault and suspended him by the thumbs to male him agree to give perjured tes timony against a negro named John Huff, who had been arrested by Con stable Adams, for the murder of Po liceman McConnell in AaheriUe, for which there was a large reward. » » » _£k_.